Restaurants Dominate the Local Search and Mobile Landscape

The way consumers are looking for and locating restaurants has changed dramatically over the years. What once was an arena dominated by Yellow Pages and brochures, is now won over by smartphones, tablets and desktop computers.

Today, consumers are searching for local businesses using different online platforms such as social media sites, search engines and local listings. And you’d be surprised what type of business they are looking for the most when they are online.

According to a study performed by comScore, restaurants top the local searches of consumers, with 24% of searches coming from PCs and laptops, 30% from mobile phones, and 28% from tablets.

The same study also revealed that a massive sixty-seven percent (67%) of consumers responded with restaurants when asked what businesses they’re looking for when conducting specific business searches.

Looking at the data, it’s clear that businesses today, particularly restaurants, should be concerned about having an online presence. Hungry customers are searching for restaurants online, and they will go for the ones that are visible on search engines, social media sites and local listings the most.

Is your website visible and searchable online? Do you have a website to begin with?

Customers Use their Mobile Devices when Researching about Restaurants

Not only do customers look for restaurants online—they are also doing their research using their smartphones and tablets! A study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau found out that ninety-three percent (93%) of consumers use their mobile devices to find a restaurant’s location, ninety-five percent (95%) use them to find restaurant’s phone numbers, ninety percent (90%) use them to check out the menu, while ninety-three percent (93%) use their mobile devices to check restaurants’ hours.

The figures above emphasize how important it is to include critical information on business websites. Most of the time, these details determine the user’s action towards you. Of course, it’s unlikely for customers to choose your restaurant when they have no idea where you are located, or what phone number to call to ask for information. Ninety percent (90%) customers also expect restaurant websites to include their menu, so restaurant owners like you should also consider putting this up.

Likewise, seventy-eight percent (78%) use mobile devices to find a mobile coupon or discount, and the same percentage also use them to check reviews about restaurants.

These factors are also of utmost importance if you are thinking of boosting your presence in search engines, local listings and review sites. To ensure that you can be on a par with your competitors, you need to have high visibility on these online platforms. Offering coupons and discounts to your potential patrons will also help you grow your restaurant.

Above all, restaurants today need a mobile responsive website, given that mobile usage has been continuously growing. Google also released a statement saying they favor sites that load properly on various devices. By making your website responsive, your business can have a better chance at gaining a good ranking on Google’s SERPs.

Customers Order Food using their Mobile Devices

Customers are also using their mobile devices to order food from restaurants. In fact, a study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau suggested that sixty-nine percent (69%) of consumers have ordered via their mobile devices for pick-up or delivery.

Research-to-Purchase Cycle is Fast and Purchase Rate is High!

Not only that—the initial research-to-purchase cycle is fast with a high percentage (64%) of consumers looking to complete their purchase within an hour, according to data collected by Telmetrics. The same study found that mobile users who search for restaurants have a high purchase rate of eighty percent (80%).

If you want your business to thrive in the online arena, then you need to put special focus on having a mobile-friendly site so that you can expand your reach and allow potential customers to quickly get in touch with you whenever they need to.

Factors that Make Consumers more Likely to Order

Customers look at various features before contacting and ordering from your restaurant. Based on data provided by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, here are some of the most important factors that make customers order:

78% Discounts

64% Loyalty Points

54% Ease of Ordering

47% Delivery Alert

37% Ease of Finding Restaurant

36% Remember Past Orders

32% On-time Delivery Guarantee

23% Remember Credit Card for Ease of Checkout

Do you offer promos on your local listings, check-in sites, social media, and blog?

Among all factors, discounts and loyalty points top the list, which means that promos are the key factor consumers consider whether or not they would visit or order from a restaurant. Take advantage of this by offering exclusive promos and by letting these hungry consumers know that you exist whenever they search for you on local listings, check-in sites, social media and blogs.

We can help you prepare and spice up your digital marketing so that customers will find you whenever they ask, “Where should I eat today?”

Circle Consulting Publishers is a team of consultants that create or curate content for the Circle Consulting Agency, or Reputation Media TV, blog and social media.
Circle Consulting Agency provides offline and online brand marketing and advertising solutions that eliminate cold calling, build business brands and increase customer traffic.
Reputation Media TV is a video production division of Circle Consulting Agency that combines reputation, expertise in the market place, and video to convert leads and drive traffic. View all posts by Circle Consulting Publishers »

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